OUR RECENT UPDATES

We're delighted to have received a 3-year Catalyser grant from Youth Music to support One Spirit, which works with young offenders in custody, the community and those at risk in PRUs to ignite sector change through its therapeutic effects on mental health of combining music and mentoring in custody and on release, as well as its impact on prevention of those at risk of entering the youth justice system. "HMDT Music offer a vital service to young people at HMYOI Feltham. The project ……. allows them to express and process their emotions connected to their experiences in a meaningful way. HMDT Music are one of the only (if not the only) agency currently able to offer ‘through the gate’ support to their participants [……..] the value of this cannot be underestimated at what is a potentially highly vulnerable time for a young person, enabling continuity with established relationships" - KH, Child and Family Psychodynamic Psychotherapist HMYOI Feltham A.

In September, our final year of the E Project for primary schools in Stoke on Trent, Lytham St Anne’s, Luton and Hackney, which aims to embed equality, diversity and inclusion across the curriculum, began with an exploration of topics including the Holocaust, Civil Rights, Diversity in British Law, Migration, and Inspirational Leaders. It will culminate with a bank of online resources and teaching videos developed through artist workshops in drama, art and music. In addition, young artists participating in The Art of Inclusion Training Scheme to develop their own practitioner skills, creative practice, and engagement with EDI, received a two-day training course in February with E Project practitioners, Jo Carey and Sophie Gresswell, before delivering their own in-school workshops at Berger Primary School.

We’re delighted to let you know about two major performances of our commissions: We’ll Meet Again and Odyssean Variations, which showcase our award-winning methodology of creating new works which embed the arts across all learning. This Summer, our I Can Sing! students will perform We’ll Meet Again, a compilation of several HMDT Music commissions about different aspects of the Second World War, to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. It includes ‘The Blitz’ scene from Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton’s opera The Hackney Chronicles, excerpts from our Home Front revue I’ll Be Seeing You (2005) by Matthew King and Alasdair Middleton, and music from Hear Our Voice by both Jonathan Dove and Matthew King, set to a libretto Tertia Sefton-Green compiled from the writings of children of the Holocaust. It embraces a range of emotional experiences from fear, loss, defiance to community, friendship, family, patriotism, humour and above all, hope. The CYMH Orchestra and I Can Sing! choir will also be performing Matthew King’s Odyssean Variations with our renowned patron; internationally acclaimed virtuoso cellist Natalie Clein, who premiered the work in 2008. It narrates the story of Odysseus’ 10-year journey home after the battle of Troy and his adventures with the one-eyed Cyclops, singing sirens, Circe the sorceress, to name but a few. We’re delighted that Natalie is able to join us again to perform Odyssean Variations for what promises to be a memorable experience!

This #BritishScienceWeek, we are commemorating the anniversary of the death of historical palaeontologist Mary Anning in 1847. Mary Anning, whose discoveries helped prove that there had been life on earth for millions of years and contributed significantly towards developing the field of palaeontology, was the first person to discover the complete skeletons of a Plesiosaurus and an Ichthyosaurus in the English coastal town of Lyme Regis. In our STEM Sisters workshops, historical palaeontologist Mary Anning visits KS1 and KS2 classrooms across England to share her toughest challenges and greatest achievements, delving into the world of palaeontology through hands-on activities and engaging storytelling! In HMDT Music’s ‘STEM Sisters’ workshops, students learn how fossils are formed, examine genuine fossils, and explore what it is like to be a palaeontologist by assembling a skeleton from a jigsaw of bones. To book a workshop with Mary Anning for your school, or explore our FREE teaching resources and learn more about our influential STEM Sisters, visit: https://zurl.co/Nphy

This year’s #InternationalWomensDay theme, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Action’ calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres. We believe it is integral to incorporate women’s stories into the curriculum to continue breaking down barriers and encourage young girls to pursue careers in STEM, where there continues to be a significant gender gap. Our ‘STEM Sisters’ project highlights the achievements and discoveries of women who each advanced their fields of research, with our multi-media musical puppet show, ‘Jina and the STEM Sisters’ celebrating the stories of our STEM Sisters who, in many cases, are only just getting the recognition they deserve. Such cases include those of Hedy Lamar, the founder of frequency-hopping used for Bluetooth and WiFi, but who was told to use her beauty for the war effort and whose inventions were only used once the patent which credited her ownership had expired, and Ada Lovelace who is thought to be the first person to be the first ever computer programmer, publishing an algorithm to be carried out by Charles Babbage’s Mechanical General-Purpose computer. Ada struggled to be taken seriously as a woman in her field, and her contributions to computing were only recognised a century later. To inspire the next generation of budding female scientists, visit our STEM Sisters Education Zone to take advantage of a large body of FREE teaching resources which incorporate these women’s stories and link them to different areas of the curriculum: https://zurl.co/Nphy

December 2024 marked the 10th anniversary of our annual Shakespeare Day of Performance, which we devise for Creative Education Trust, bringing together 10 schools across the Midlands and Great Yarmouth to perform half hour versions of Shakespeare’s plays. For the first time, schools this year were given the unique opportunity to come together and collaborate on four performances: A Winter’s Tale, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each school worked with actor Ryan Early on vocal delivery and textual interpretation and theatre designer Mark Friend to develop and create props, before coming together to perform at Abbeyfield School in Northampton; resulting in a fantastic display of fellowship and collaboration.

We're delighted to launch our 30th Anniversary year! Since Adam Eisenberg and I started working with what was then Hackney Music Development Trust, we have commissioned 10 operas/music theatre works, 1 dance piece, over 5 instrumental works, a storybook, 15 song cycles and over 100 songs. Alongside our numerous schools' projects and partnerships, the Saturday Programme has been running since HMDT's inception; originally just as CYMH and we're proud that our longest serving tutor Martyn Lewington, has been teaching with us since the very beginning! With the creation of One Spirit; our programme for young Offenders in 2010, our triumvirate body of work was set as: In Schools, In the Community and the Saturday Programme. Since we officially turned national in 2012 (having already taken our international Holocaust project Hear Our Voice to Nuremberg and Prague in 2006), our work has reached 17 counties and around 120,000 people. Throughout, we have maintained our commitment to artistic excellence, innovation, community and inclusivity in our mission to offering all young people, particularly those most disadvantaged, inspiring opportunities to enrich learning and transform lives. We want to thank the many amazing artists, practitioners, funders, partners, staff and of course participants, who have made this all possible. Tertia Sefton-Green, CEO and Creative Director

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a day about promoting role models to inspire young girls to close the gender gap and pursue careers in science. Today, we are taking our STEM Sisters palaeontology workshops to Co-op Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, where KS1 and KS2 children will explore the world of fossils through the lens of pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning, who made some of the most impressive and note-worthy discoveries of her day, though did not receive the recognition she deserved. During these workshops, children will engage in interactive, hands-on activities which are complemented by our body of online resources supporting your curriculum. “The children particularly enjoyed the live re-enactment of Mary Anning’s story – it really highlighted her significant in history” – Teacher. To organise a visit from Mary Anning to your school and inspire your students to explore careers in STEM, visit our website and fill in the workshop application form: https://zurl.co/Pcfyg

This Monday 27 January marks both International Holocaust Memorial Day and the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. Today, and every day, we remember and reflect upon one of the greatest tragedies of human conflict, and those whose lives were taken. At HMDT Music, we continue to commemorate the events of the Holocaust through our Hear Our Voice project; taking workshops into schools and offering students today the opportunity to empathise with the emotions of those who suffered by exploring the subject through the eyes of the children who experienced it, and inspiring them by sharing stories of hope amongst the tragedy.

This Remembrance Day, the HMDT Music team would like to pay our respects and commemorate the service and sacrifice of those who gave their lives for their country in wars around the world to defend the freedoms that we enjoy today. We would particularly like to remember the contributions made by ethnic minority soldiers of the Indian Army, British West Indies Regiment and Black British soldiers, whose stories live on in our Trench Brothers project and continue to be shared in schools through our commemorative workshops. #FirstWorldWar #TrenchBrothers #RemembranceDay #lestweforget

Are you a practicing artist, musician, drama practitioner, dancer, or an artist in another discipline, looking to support diversity and inclusion in schools? Our free Art of Inclusion Training Scheme can help you make a difference! Develop skills in supporting cross-curricular learning in schools through the arts to underpin diversity, inclusion and equality, and learn from expert workshop leaders and gain paid practical experience. Visit our website to find out more information and apply by 22nd November: https://www.hmdt.org.uk/hmdtmusic/inschool/2025-art-of-inclusion-training/ #ArtsOpps #ArtsJobs

At HMDT Music’s Saturday Programme, we aim to nurture young people’s love of music from early childhood all the way through to young adulthood. This #KidsMusicDay we are spotlighting our ‘Fledglings’ programme for Reception children, where they are encouraged to grow their confidence and develop their creativity through song and performance, preparing them for learning their first instrument! “She can’t wait to teach me the songs at home!” – ‘Fledglings’ Parent Applications for 'Fledglings' are open throughout the term but join before 19th October and get our Special Offer of 25% OFF the term’s fees! To learn more about 'Fledglings' and the rest of our Saturday Programme and how to join, follow the link in our bio to visit our website or feel free to get in touch with us at team@hmdtmusic.org.uk or 020 8882 8825.

This #SmallCharityWeek, we’re delighted to share our annual update on our community-based project, One Spirit. Since 2013, One Spirit has helped young people caught up in the criminal justice system to develop skills and knowledge that will give them a better chance to access further education, gain employment and lead a more productive life once they are released from custody. "HMDT Music offer a vital service to young people at HMYOI Feltham. The project […….] allows them to express and process their emotions connected to their experiences in a meaningful way. HMDT Music are one of the only (if not the only) agency currently able to offer ‘through the gate’ support to their participants [……..] the value of this cannot be underestimated at what is a potentially highly vulnerable time for a young person, enabling continuity with established relationships" – KH, Child and Family Psychodynamic Psychotherapist HMYOI Feltham A. Read the annual update here: https://zurl.co/Zm0n

This World Music Day, we’re celebrating our Saturday Programme students who are working incredibly hard for their Summer Term performances in the next few weeks, and their ABRSM Exams tomorrow! We are committed to providing high-quality music provision in Hackney to ensure that every child has access to music-making, and it is a joy to see the transformative power of music for the young people in our Saturday Programme. If your child is interested in Music Theatre or plays a musical instrument, we’d love to have them come and join the fun at our Saturday Programme in our Autumn Term! Apply now to secure your place: https://zurl.co/nRB8